


Shakespearean Comedy

by KaylaJ224



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-24
Updated: 2013-06-24
Packaged: 2017-12-16 01:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/856035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaylaJ224/pseuds/KaylaJ224
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And so it goes, Blaine Anderson first sees the gorgeous guy across the street while he is hanging curtains." A story of Shakespeare, special notes, and misunderstandings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shakespearean Comedy

**Author's Note:**

> I want to say thank you to Jeannie for her wonderful Beta work, and to Karoline for her wonderful art and all her help with the plot of the story! This fic is my contribution to the Kurt/Blaine Reverse bang 2013.

  
  


 

Blaine lives there for a month before he notices. One whole month of dinners, and game nights and movies on his couch. A whole month before he sees him. It’s an accident, really. His brother and sister-in-law visit him the week before and Cooper makes a crack about Blaine’s décor…or lack thereof. He laughs it off at the time, but when his eyes sweep his apartment after they leave, he decides that personalization is not such a bad idea. So he picks out personal touches, and tries to figure out how to avoid Cooper thinking this was his idea. 

And so it goes, Blaine Anderson first sees the gorgeous guy across the street while he is hanging curtains. He isn’t one to stare because that’s impolite, and it goes against his nature. But this guy, whose thin frame and pale skin contrast brightly against the worn brick of his apartment building, is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. So naturally, he can’t look away. The man is pinning samples of fabrics to a mannequin, lower lip tucking under his teeth as his blue eyes sweep over the samples. And all Blaine can do is watch. 

It takes him four days to develop a ridiculous crush. It was bound to happen. If the amount of sappy love songs Blaine would sing in high school and the number of times he has watched the Notebook are any indication, it’s that Blaine leans toward the hopelessly romantic side of life. All he ever sees the man do is pin samples of fabric and play with the measuring tape draped around his neck. He doesn’t even know his name, and yet, the crush remains. Two days after admitting this to himself, Blaine gets off thinking about the mystery man. He fantasizes about pale skin moving over his, about what the man’s voice sounds like, what the man would feel like pressed up against him. It’s over quickly, a choked off moan escapes him as he comes and then a wave of sadness. He just got off to a man he doesn’t knows. Blaine Anderson is lonely. 

The next day Blaine auditions for the role of Lysander in _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. He remembers the first time he saw Shakespeare in the Park. He was nine and his mother took him while they were in town accompanying his father on a business trip. They saw a production of _Much Ado About Nothing_. He stood in the middle of the crowd, hand clasping firmly to his mother, and it’s there that he decides that he’s going to grow up to be an actor. Twelve years and a whole bunch of schooling later, and he finds himself landing one of the lead roles in a play. The first thing he does when he gets home is call his brother, letting out a loud “I GOT IT!” 

To celebrate, he eats dinner, alone. Moving to New York after college, as glamorous as the movies have made it out to be, does have a down side: it’s hard to make friends. Blaine has never had a hard time at being social but he also wasn’t one to hang out at a bar. So, until he got the play, he didn’t have anywhere to meet new people. Thus, Blaine was celebrating the next stage in his life in an empty apartment, and hoping that a few weeks from now he won’t be home alone on a Friday night. The person he sees the most in this city is mystery neighbor, and he decides to spend the rest of the evening watching the man make whatever beautiful garment he’s been working on. 

Of course he gets caught. It was bound to happen, and he knew it. But just because you know something’s going to happen doesn’t mean you’re prepared for when it does. And Blaine wasn’t prepared to be caught. Not at all. He wasn’t sure why the man decided to look in his direction. He’s never looked in his direction while working. The entire two weeks Blaine hasn’t had to even duck out of sight. So, when the man’s blue eyes suddenly turn toward him he’s frozen in surprise. And then he waves and winces at how dumb he must look. But the other man waves back, an amused smile on his face. Blaine watches as the man moves away from the window and blinks in shock. “Well…that was uneventful,” he mutters to his empty apartment. 

Then the man is back again, with a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other. He holds up the notepad and Blaine realizes he’s meant to read the neat, crisp letters written across the page. 

_Hello._

Blaine blinks, and looks up at the stranger, who’s smiling a little and waving his free hand. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected but this wasn’t it. He snaps out of his daze long enough to look around, and quickly grabs a pen and pad out of the drawer of his work desk. Scrapping the list on the first page and hoping it wasn’t anything important, Blaine quickly writes his reply and holds it up to the other man.

_Hi. Sorry if I was intruding. I swear I’m not as creepy as I appear to be at the moment._

To his relief the other man seems to chuckle, writing out his response quickly and holding it up, an eyebrow cocked. 

_I didn’t think you were creepy until you said something, but now…_

Blaine smiles, jotting down a reply and holding it up.

_I’m Blaine._

_Kurt._

And that’s how Blaine makes his first friend in the city, through semi-peeping tom circumstances. Which, thankfully, neither of them brings up. But they talk about almost everything else, all through notes. Everything from favorite movies (When Blaine writes Top Gun he’s pretty sure Kurt almost dies from laughter), to their childhood, to their aspirations (He finds out that Kurt wants to develop his own clothing line and tells him about his dreams of being a performer). It’s a week later and Blaine has yet to hear Kurt’s actual voice. It’s exciting and a bit of a novelty, the idea of not talking. He keeps his note pads and a pen next to the window now, and a chair tilted slightly in that direction for when they chat.  After a little while, Blaine considers asking Kurt for a phone number. The fear of being rejected stops him and he decides that this is easier, for now. And safer. 

Then Blaine gets a job tending bar at night ( _What a struggling actor you are_ , is Kurt’s response) and starts rehearsals for Mid Summer, and they have to readjust their communication technique. When Blaine wakes up in the morning he’ll tape a note to his window before leaving for rehearsal, and come home to find an answering one in Kurt’s. They leave each other words of encouragement or questions for the other. One day Kurt’s questions caught him off guard. 

_Are you gay?_  

Blaine has to admit; he never even thought to ask Kurt that question. He didn’t want to assume or offend, and he was almost grateful for Kurt’s forwardness. 

_Yes. Are you?_  

He gets back from work that night with the answer ( _Yes_ ), and for the first time since he first saw Kurt, he fantasizes about his pale skin and blue eyes. He still didn’t have a voice to match but he has the voice in his head, the voice he reads all of the notes in, and he comes quickly before rolling over to sleep.

Not a week after that he comes home to another question, this one catching him off guard even more than the first. 

_Did you want to have coffee sometime?_

Blaine sinks into his chair, blinking as he reads the note taped to Kurt’s window. Coffee, in person, with Kurt. The man he’s had more conversations with in the past three and a half weeks then he’s had with his own family, and they are going to meet. His heart quickens with the thought of it, a smile spreading on his lips as he reaches for his pad to answer before getting ready for bed. He’s adding the fourth exclamation point when movement catches his eye and he looks up. Kurt is in the window and he waves, note in hand. Blaine returns the wave and holds up his answer, and Kurt grins. 

_Are you free tomorrow at 11? There’s a place right around the corner._

_I’ll be there:]_

He is so glad their director decided to give them a day off, and thinks he needs buy Artie a beer someday as he goes to pick out what to wear. 

The next day Blaine arrives at the coffee house at 11:00 on the dot. He spends a good hour that morning stressing over if he should be on time or early. He goes with on time because he doesn’t want to appear too eager, even if he’d been ready since 9:30 and reread the first act of his play. Now he stands at the entrance of the coffee shop, eyes scanning the room. He passes the room over once, a small panic building inside his chest as he does it again. He’s getting stood up. He just knows it. No one that beautiful, or talented would ever want to… 

Oh. 

He spots Kurt in a corner booth; head down over his phone as he scrolls through the screen. His hair is perfectly coiffed on top of his head, almost like a cloud that Blaine wants to run his fingers through, and his arms flex through his three-quarter sleeve shirt. Suddenly Kurt’s head pops up and their eyes meet and Blaine stops breathing for a moment. He tries to give Kurt a tentative smile, willing himself to calm down. 

His body moves on its own when Kurt waves him over, his head still spinning from the idea of all of this actually happening. He’s been fantasizing about this man for at least a month and now he’s two feet away. A gripping fear falls over him at the realization, and he has to wipe his sweaty palm on his pants before extending it out to the other man. “Hi, I’m Blaine Anderson.” 

Kurt’s eyebrows raise in amusement, his hand taking Blaine’s without hesitation. “I’m Kurt Hummel. It’s nice to finally meet you. You’re smaller in person.” He blurts, wincing at himself as they slide into opposite sides of the booth. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I lose my filter when I’m nervous.” 

Blaine tries not to look pleased. “Don’t be nervous.” 

He smiles brightly, trying to hide the fact that his whole body is on edge. “I’m glad I finally have a voice to put to your face.” 

And what a voice it was. Slightly higher pitched and angelic, Blaine can almost feel his crush deepen.  And when Kurt smiles in response Blaine knows he’s a goner.  “Yes, I’d never had a friend who I’ve never heard speak before. You were like my version of a pen pal for a while.” Kurt replies. 

Blaine chuckles, nodding. “We’re very old fashioned.” 

The conversation moves pretty fluidly after that, the only other time it gets a little awkward is when they go to get coffee and do the “who should pay” dance. Blaine wins that one, he’s good at not taking no for an answer. Neither of them notices how much time has passed until Kurt’s stomach growls in hunger. He flushes, his hand landing over his mouth as if he can muffle the noise. “I didn’t realize I was hungry.” He chuckles. 

Blaine laughs a little, looking down at his watch and blinking. “It’s almost 3.” 

Kurt’s eyes widen. “Well, no wonder my stomach is angry at me. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” 

Blaine feels the twinge of his own hunger hit him and he nods. “I have to eat before I go to work. Drunk people are way harder to deal with on an empty stomach.” 

Kurt smiles, a soft chuckle of amusement falling out of him as he stands. Blaine stands with him, trying to hide the fact that he’s sad this meeting is over. He holds out his hand for Kurt again, grasping it firmly. “Thank you for this. You were the first friend I made in the city.” 

Kurt’s smile warms, and he shakes their hands softly. “I hope I’m not the last.” 

Blaine chuckles, shaking his head. “I’ve made some more, finally.” 

They’re both silent for a moment, hands still clasped together between them. 

“Why don’t we…” 

“Would you like to…” 

They both laugh again, letting their hands drop. Clearing his throat, Blaine speaks first. “I think we should do this again. Those notes are fun but you’re much more compelling in the flesh.” 

Kurt cocks an eyebrow and squints. “I’m compelling, huh?” He nods, smirking. “Alright, I do owe you for this coffee. Want to meet here again?” 

Blaine smiles, nodding before Kurt has even finished his thought. “I’d like that.” 

Kure grabs a napkin, borrowing a pen for a near by barista to write down his number on it. “Text me when you know what your schedule looks like and we’ll figure something out.” 

Blaine nods, taking the napkin. “I’ll do that.” 

“See you then, Blaine.”

Blaine goes to work that evening in the best mood he’s ever been in. His head swims with the events of the day, and by the time he gets home he’s buzzing with the possibilities. Because that’s what Kurt is to him now, a possibility. He texts Kurt the days he’s free as soon as he gets home and goes to sleep smiling. 

They end up meeting at the coffee shop three more times in the span of a week and a half, and Blaine is all smiles. His rehearsals are going well, his job is steady, he’s making friends in the city, and he’s pretty sure that he’s falling in love with Kurt Hummel. 

Rachel is the first one to call him out on it. She comes over one evening after rehearsal, set on running some of the lines. “We’re on in a two and a half weeks and if we’re going to play lovers then I need to establish some sort of chemistry. It’s called being method.” 

Blaine hums, already used to tuning out Rachel when she launches into lectures and rants. He sticks his head into the fridge and is searching for something for them to drink when she asks, “What’s on your window?” 

Blaine whips around, eyes wide. Shit, he forgot about that. He rarely brings people up to his apartment. It’s just always ended up with him at someone else’s place, so he’s never worried about it. He bites at his lip for a moment, trying to figure out what to tell her, when she moves toward the window to remove it. “No, don’t.” 

He startles them both with how loud he reacts, his hand coming to his mouth as Rachel looks at him with wide, curious eyes. “Alright, that’s it. You’re obligated to tell me now.” 

So he does. They sit on his couch and he tells her the story of the stranger in the window, leaving out his name or any personal information of his. Rachel is nosy, and the last thing he needs is for her to look for this guy and try and put them together. She’s also a romantic, which is one of the reasons they are becoming fast friends, and by the time he’s finished she’s gripping his arm and practically swooning. 

“Blaine, you two could be soul mates. Can you imagine? Meeting your soul mate just by looking out your window?!” 

Blaine laughs, rolling his eyes at her theatrics. But as she goes on, he starts to daydream about it. About how they are always asked at parties to tell the story of how they got together. And how, when they’re old and grey, they’re still leaving notes for each other around the house. Blaine sighs dreamily, and blinks back to reality at the sound of Rachel saying his name. “You back with us?”” 

He blushes, looking down at his hands in his lap. “Yeah, sorry.” 

Rachel gives him a knowing look. “So, how many dates have you two been on?”

Blaine squirms, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I mean…I’m not sure if. That is to say, we never officially…” 

Rachel narrows her eyes. “Blaine Anderson, please tell me that you are dating this man.” 

Blaine looks over at her sheepishly. “I mean…we’re not putting labels on anything… No.” 

Rachel huffs. “But he knows that’s what you want, right? He knows that you’re interested?” 

Blaine looks down again. “I haven’t actually said, specifically.” 

Rachel groans, pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a sigh. “Blaine, what am I suppose to do with you? You’re a grown man. A grown, single, dashingly handsome gay man living in the city. Live a little, or single is going to be a descriptor you hear a lot.” 

Blaine nods, lost in thought. She was right, of course. He’s an adult, and Kurt is an adult. They aren’t twelve anymore, and writing a note asking if he likes him seems a bit immature. And he knows that Kurt isn’t a mind reader, he’s going off of signals that Blaine sends him. 

That night, after some wine and some rehearsing, Blaine goes to bed with the resolve to crank up his game. Make the signals unmistakable. He isn’t going to throw himself at this man, but he needs to make his intentions clear. He needs to woo Kurt Hummel. 

That turns out to be easier said than done. If he were still in high school he’d just serenade the boy. Sing him a Top 40 and that would be that. But they aren’t in high school, and bursting out into song doesn’t seem like something Kurt would appreciate if it’s in the middle of their coffee spot.  He doesn’t want to scare him off, not this one. 

Blaine tries to flirt the next time they get together, but he doesn’t think Kurt is picking up on the fact that he’s flirting. When he thinks about it, they’re already a bit flirty with each other in their friendship. It’s the natural state their relationship took and Blaine can’t blame Kurt for not getting that he’s actually flirting. 

After a few failed attempts at flirting, Blaine decides to just go for it. The next time they get together he’ll just tell Kurt how he feels and what he wants. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? 

“Of course it’s going to be hard,” is Rachel’s reply when he tells her his plan at rehearsals the next day. 

“Thank you for that.” 

Rachel rolls her eyes, stretching on the floor as they wait for their break to end. “When are you going to see him next?”

“This afternoon.” 

Rachel nods. “Well, All you can do is go for it. If it doesn’t turn out the way you want then it’s his loss.”

Blaine cocks an eyebrow. “Yeah?” 

“You’re a catch, Blaine. Don’t you forget it.” 

“Streisand is right,” Santana remarks as she passes by. “If we both weren’t as gay as the day is long I’d tap that ass in a second.” 

Blaine winces, turning back to Rachel. “Thank god she’s playing Helena.” 

“I heard that, hobbit.” 

Rachel snorts and Blaine chuckles, plans for this afternoon already forming in his head. 

He smiles brightly at Rachel. “I have a good feeling.” 

Rachel returns his smile. “Good, tell him tonight so that tomorrow at the costume fitting you can give me all the details of the crazy sex you have.” 

Blaine’s face turns red and he tries to play it off. “Rachel, how crude.”

 She nods, looking pleased. “I suppose that was a bit crude.”

He gets home from rehearsal with some flowers and a new sense of ambition. He showers quickly, sitting the bouquet in some water, as he gets ready for his coffee date.  He’s scared, of course. But it’s a different kind of fear. A fear he is thriving off of, not one that’s crippling him. And as he steps into the coffee shop and sees Kurt at their regular booth, two coffees sitting in front of him, a fresh wave of it rushes over him. Taking a deep breath, he approaches the table. Kurt looks up and cocks an eyebrow at the flowers. “What are those for?” 

“For you.”

Kurt’s eyes widen, and he blinks. “Me? Why?” 

“Because I felt like it.” Blaine says, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible as he slides into his side of the booth. 

Kurt smells the flowers and looks over them at Blaine. “Wow, thank you. This is…” he smiles, “You’ve made my day.” 

Blaine preens. “Then I’ve succeeded in my goal.” 

They spend twenty minutes at the coffee shop, talking and laughing as they finish their drinks. The more time passes, the more confident Blaine feels. He slips in a few touches as they sit across from each other, grabbing Kurt’s hand during a story or brushing lint off his sleeve. He’s not quite sure what he’s reading from Kurt’s reactions, but he thinks they’re good. Mostly flustered, which pleases Blaine even more. 

When the conversation dies down a bit, Kurt clears his throat. “Listen, would you mind coming back with me to my apartment? I wanted to ask you something.” 

Blaine feels like his stomach does a cartwheel, but he schools his face into a calm reaction. “Sure, I’d love to.” 

Kurt smiles, getting up. “Great. Follow me.” 

They walk to Kurt’s building in comfortable silence, Blaine’s mind thrumming with the image of Kurt admitting his feelings, of being kissed in the middle of his living room. He’s practically skipping down the hall when they reach Kurt’s apartment. “What’s gotten into you?” Kurt asks with an amused chuckle, unlocking his door. 

“It’s just been a very good day.” 

Kurt smiles, opening the door and stepping inside. “I’m glad.” 

Blaine steps inside, eyes sweeping the studio apartment. It’s not that big, but he’s not surprised that Kurt makes it work. The bed is pushed against the wall in the back corner, draped fabric covering it like a canvas. The rest of the space was open and flowing and warm. Taking a deep breath, Blaine lets that warmth settle low in his stomach as his eyes sweep over the mannequin he’s seen Kurt work with. 

“Are you working on something?” He asks, pointing at the fabric and misshapen clothes laying about the work desk next to it. 

“Oh yeah, I make clothes on the side. It’s just a hobby.” He chuckles. “My coworker at Vogue teases me about it.” 

“Why would he tease you?” 

Kurt shrugs, sitting on the small couch near the center of the space. “He’s that type. The teasing type.” 

Blaine sits next to Kurt. “I think it’s neat.” 

Kurt’s expression is warm. “Thank you.”

Blaine smiles, looking down quickly at Kurt’s lips before clearing his throat. “What did you want to ask me?” 

Kurt’s face brightens even more, and he turns to face Blaine fully. “Oh yes, so my co-worker that I was just talking about?” 

“The teasing type.”

Kurt nods. “Yes, him. His name is Sebastian. We’re not really friends, I just sort of know him through work, but he’s recently been through a break up and we were talking yesterday and…I think you’d like him.” 

Blaine blinks, his stomach sinking. “What?’

Kurt continues, seemingly unaware of Blaine’s change in demeanor. “I mean, I’m not usually one to set people up but he’s so attractive and tall. I think he fits your type.” 

Blaine almost chokes on air, his head swimming. “That…does sound like my type.”

Kurt nods, smiling. “Right? So, could I set you guys up? Maybe tomorrow evening? You can get drinks.” 

Blaine nodded, the warmth he had been feeling completely gone, replaced with cold. Kurt didn’t want to ask him to go out. He didn’t want to date Blaine, of course not. He wants Blaine to date and be happy, just not with him. _Don’t cry._  

“Blaine?” Kurt asks, his eyes now a filled with some worry. “Are you okay?’

Blaine nods, straightening up and reeling in his emotions. “Yes. Yes, I’m great. That sounds good. Give him my number and tell him to text me an address.” 

Kurt’s smile returns. “Great. Oh, that’s great. He’ll be excited.” 

Blaine nods, and gets up. “Listen, I should go. I have work,” he lies, heading for the door. 

“Okay. Well, I’ll talk to you soon. Tell me how it went.” Kurt calls after him, sounding a little surprised. 

Blaine doesn’t turn around to see, he just wants to get out of there. He heads to his place without looking back, telling himself not to overreact. _You’re a grown man. So he doesn’t feel the same? So what?_  

He gets to his apartment in record time and once inside he lets out a sob. “So stupid,” he mutters, wiping at his face. He kicks off his shoes, by passes the window as quick as possible, and heads straight to bed. 

He wakes up to five texts. Three from the cast and crew, one from Kurt and one from Sebastian. 

**Artie:** You better have a good reason for missing the fitting. 

**Rachel:** WHERE ARE YOU?! Artie is pissed, and I’m a little worried. 

**Santana:** Berry is going crazy, and I’ve never seen Artie this shade of red. I hope you’re on your deathbed, hobbit. That’s the only way you’re getting out of this. 

He curses to himself, of course he slept in. He’s always been an emotional person, and over stimulation usually zaps all the energy from him. He calls Artie, and after a few minutes of his best acting, he convinces his director that he has a bug and gives him his measurements. 

“Okay, Blaine.” Artie had said. “You’re lucky I think you’re talented. “

Blaine thanked him repeatedly before hanging up. He texts Rachel next, telling her a short version of the lie he told Artie and that Kurt wants to set him up on a date with a co-worker. He doesn’t even bother answering Santana, trusting that Rachel will tell her before he can anyway. 

He takes a deep breath before reading Kurt’s text.

**Kurt:** Sebastian should be texting you soon. Let me know what you think when you get home tonight. 

Blaine groans, not replying, but instead moving on to the unknown number that has sent him a text. There is an address for an upscale bar a block from his place and when he replied that he’d be there at 7:00 the answering text makes him cringe. 

**Sebastian:** Sounds good. Kurt’s told me a lot about you today. Hope you’re as attractive in person as he makes you sound. ;] 

_Oh god, he sent a wink. Who does that?_ Blaine thinks, but shakes his head. He can’t go into this date with his mind made up. Sulking isn’t going to help anything. If Kurt doesn’t see him as more than a friend then he needs to find someone who can. And why not this guy? If nothing else, he can get a good lay from this. He tries to pretend like he can get away with that. That one-night stands are something he’s capable of. He puts it in the back of his mind, getting up to run a few errands before his date. 

By the time he arrives at the restaurant, his mood has sunk so far down that he almost calls it off altogether. To his surprise, it’s Santana who gets him to go. _What do you have to lose?_ she had said when he called her earlier in the evening. _If window guy doesn’t want you, there are plenty of men in New York who do._

So here he is, 7:00 on a Wednesday night in a button up blue shirt and a powdered grey bowtie. He scans the bar, looking for an empty seat at the bar. He notices a man sitting at the corner of the bar look at him and he narrows his gaze. Taking a deep breath, he walks over to the small table the man is seated at. “Sebastian?” 

The man smiles coyly, his eyes a little too shifty for Blaine’s taste. “Blaine. Kurt didn’t do you justice.” 

Blaine suppresses a snort. _Of course he didn’t_ , he thinks, _he’s not attracted to me._  

“Thank you? You look nice too.” He finishes lamely, taking the seat across from the man.

Sebastian chuckles, leaning forward and letting his eyes roam over Blaine. “The bowtie was a nice touch.” 

Blushing, Blaine fidgets with the tie around his neck. “They’re sort of my thing.” 

Sebastian nods, “What other things do you like, Blaine.” 

“Um,” Blaine stutters, “Well, musical theater is my passion. I, um, I guess acting is another one of my things.” 

Sebastian nods, obviously fake interest on his face. “Acting? That’s interesting,” he responds, his eyes sweeping to Blaine’s lips. 

“What about you?” Blaine asks, trying to move the conversation along. 

“What are my things? There are so many,” he remarks, smirking. “I guess one of them is Vogue. And the other is sex.”

Blaine chokes on the drink he was sipping on, sputtering. Sebastian smirks. “Is that not a thing?” 

Blaine just nods, still clearing his throat. “Sure, that…that is a thing that people do.”

Sebastian laughs, leaning across the table and taking one of Blaine’s hands. “Listen, Kurt doesn’t know me very well. He probably thought that, because I’ve recently become single, I’d want to go right into another relationship. Truth is, I just want to fuck. I’m not looking for dates. And you,” his thumb swipes over Blaine’s knuckles and Blaine just stares, wide eyes not leaving Sebastian’s. “Look like you’d be a good time. So, if you’re up for it, let’s get out of here.” 

Blaine doesn’t let himself over think. All he hears is Rachel’s voice telling him to live a little and Kurt’s smiling face asking him how it went. He gulps and nods his head briskly. “My apartment is a block from here.” 

Sebastian’s grin widens and he stands. “After you.” 

They walk to Blaine’s apartment in silence, panic setting in the closer they get to his building. Can he really do this? Can he just sleep with this man he’s known for forty-five minutes, then never see him again? And what about Kurt? Kurt’s probably home right now, bent over he work table with fabrics, maybe wondering why he hasn’t heard from him all day and how the date is going. 

When they approach the entrance to his building, the thought that makes him stop is the idea of being with Sebastian with Kurt across the alley. The picture of Sebastian pressing him into the mattress as he looks dully toward the window. He shivers and blurts out “I can’t do this.” 

Sebastian blinks in surprise. “What?” 

“I’m sorry,” Blaine chokes, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m not trying to lead you on. I…you’re very attractive,” he fumbles, shuffling his feet. “And I was going to but…I can’t. It’s just not something I’ve ever done and I don’t think I’m as comfortable with it as I was trying to be.” 

He chances a look up at Sebastian, whose hands are in his pockets and who’s face is a mixture of annoyance and understanding. “Well, I’m disappointed. I’m not going to lie.” 

Blaine nods. “I’m sorry. You seem like you’re a fun guy, I just don’t think you’re my type.” 

Sebastian’s eyebrows rise in curiosity. “Oh yeah? And what is your type, Blaine?” 

He doesn’t answer, shrugging as he looks back down at his shoes. There is silence for a minute before Sebastian speaks again. “Kurt’s a lucky guy.” 

Blaine’s head snaps up in surprise, eyes wide. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

Sebastian hums, leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to Blaine’s cheek. “Good night, Blaine. And good luck with…everything.” 

Before Blaine can respond, Sebastian has started across the street and he’s alone in front of his building. He watches the other man walk away for a moment longer before heading inside to go to bed. He decides before he goes to sleep to send Kurt a text. 

_He seemed fun but we didn’t really connect. Thanks anyway._

He sighs and settles into his pillow, resolved to being friends with Kurt. Better friends than nothing at all. And when he wakes up the next day, he’s made up his mind to be the best friend he can be. It’s not Kurt’s problem that he has these feelings, and Kurt shouldn’t be punished for it. 

When he arrives at dress rehearsal that afternoon, he’s feeling a lot better and a lot calmer than the last two days. Rachel bounces over to him as soon as he enters the building. “So? How did it go? Did you get lucky?” 

Snorting, Blaine moves past her and shakes his head. “No, wasn’t really my type.”

“You mean he wasn’t window guy?” 

“No,” he replies stubbornly, and then shrugs. “A little. But I’ve decided that I’m going to get over it. If he just wants to be friends then that’s what we are. I’m not going to sulk about it.” 

“Oh good, in that case, I have the perfect guy for you.” 

Blaine shakes his head before her sentence is finished. “I wasn’t inviting you to set me up. Been there done that.” 

“But Blaine, this guy is actually the perfect guy for you! Yesterday at the fitting I found out my friend from high school is making the costumes! I was sad you weren’t here to see him, Blaine. The man is gorgeous.” She bounces on her feet in excitement. “We were catching up and he was telling me about a, um, friend of his that he’s trying to get over and I suggested that you could be how he does that.” 

He pretends to be uninterested, Rachel is always so dramatic, but he has to admit that his prospects are limited right now. None of his co-workers are gay, and he isn’t going to date the regulars at his work because that could only end badly. He sighs, turning his attention to Rachel. “And when would I be going out with this gorgeous man?”

Rachel bites her lip, “Tonight?” 

“Rachel! The night before we open?” 

She shrugs, taking a sip of her water. “Why not? You need to be in a good mood when we open. Not the sulky version of Blaine that you were yesterday. Maybe he can do that for you.” 

He groans. “And what if it goes bad?” 

Rachel smiles coyly. “It won’t.”

“How do you know that?” Blaine asks, eyes narrowing. 

“Female intuition,” is her immediate response, but Blaine can tell she knows something he doesn’t. He chews on his bottom lip for a minute before giving in.

“Alright, set it up.” 

She squeals, jumping up and down. “Blaine, you’re not going to regret this. I swear. You’re going to want to kiss me.” 

He huffs. “Well, I have to kiss you tomorrow.” 

“And you’ll do it willingly.” 

“Alright, lets go lady. Dress rehearsal awaits.” 

That night he’s sitting in at the bar of a restaurant he’s never seen before, wondering how the hell he got talked into this. Two blind dates in a row. His friends must think he’s the loneliest man in the city. And Rachel was so vague about this guy, the already suspicious feeling he’d felt when she approached him doubled when he wasn’t able to pull much information from her. He didn’t even know his name. 

_How the hell will I know who he is?_ He had asked earlier that evening.

_You’ll know._

What is that suppose to mean? Does Rachel Berry think they live in a real life romantic comedy? This guy could be a serial killer for all he knew, and he’d just went right along with it. Is he that desperate? No, he’s not. He doesn’t need this. 

He’s about to stand to leave when he hears a voice. 

“Blaine?” 

He looks up to see Kurt, and blinks. “Kurt. What are you doing here?” 

“Meeting a date.” 

Blaine knows he’d decided to get over his feelings, but he couldn’t help the sting he feels at the words. “Oh,” he replies lamely. “Me too.” 

He can’t tell what Kurt’s thinking, he’s too distracted by how good he looks in his dress shirt and vest. “You look nice.” 

Kurt smiles, running his hands down the front of himself. “Thank you. I do clean up well, don’t I?”

Blaine laughs a little. “There is no denying it.” 

“So, already got another date, huh?” Kurt asks, sitting down next to him. “Sorry that you and Sebastian didn’t hit it off. I don’t know why I thought…anyway, I’m sorry.” 

Blaine shrugs; smiling to reassure Kurt he was fine. “No big deal. That’s what blind dates are, right? They’re about taking chances. Which I’m doing again, apparently.” 

Kurt laughs. “Another blind date? Two in a row, huh?” He pats Blaine’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m here for a blind date too.” 

Blaine can’t hide his surprise. “You don’t seem the blind date type.” He admits. 

Kurt nods. “I’m not, normally. But my friend is very persuasive.” He pauses. “And by persuasive, I mean obnoxious.” 

Blaine laughs. “Mine too. She’s also hiding something from me, because the details are very sketchy. I’m actually glad you’re here, in case he’s an axe murderer or something.”

Kurt snorts. “I probably know less about my date than you do.” 

Blaine shakes his head. “All I know is that she went to high school with him, and that he’s apparently perfect for me.” 

Kurt freezes as he talks, his expression unreadable. Blaine frowns a little, and tilts his head. “Are you okay?” 

“What…um,” he clears his throat, and Blaine thinks this is the first time he’s seen Kurt nervous since they first met in person. “Who’s your friend that set you up?” 

“Oh, just the girl who was cast with me for Shakespeare in the Park. Her name is Rachel,” Blaine continues, watching Kurt’s expression change to surprise. 

“Rachel Berry. I’m going to kill her.” 

Blaine blinks, mouth falling open. “You know her?” 

“I’m….we went to school together.” He turns to face Blaine. “I’m your date.” 

Blaine’s stomach sinks, and he slumps. What are the odds that she would set him up with someone who wasn’t interested in him? Surely it wasn’t something that she did on purpose. 

“Now I know why she was acting weird the other day,” he continues. “I was fitting her for her costume, and we started talking and I mentioned you. You weren’t there so I didn’t know this was…” 

“My play. I missed the fitting because I was…sick,” he finishes, feeling embarrassment heating his face. 

“I couldn’t tell what her problem was when I said your name. She almost fell off the stool I had her on.” Blaine laughs at that, and Kurt nods. “I swear, I almost stabbed her with the needle I was threading.” 

Blaine’s laugh dies out as he realizes that she did set them up on purpose. He feels anger flare in her chest. “Why would she do that? After I told her that you weren’t interested?” He mutters to himself. 

“What do you mean, not interested?” 

Blaine blinks and looks up. “Oh, I said that out loud,” he points out, lamely. He shift awkwardly under Kurt’s gaze and shrugs. “I mean, we’re just friends. You only see me as a friend.” 

Kurt’s expression changes for curiosity to confusion. “When did I say that?”

“You set me up with someone else,” Blaine snaps, causing them both to fall into a shocked silence. He clears his throat after a moment. “It’s not that big of a deal. I tried flirting with you and you weren’t interested, case closed. I still want to be your friend.” He looks up at Kurt, whose eyes are narrow. “We can call it a night and tell Rachel that this wasn’t a very funny joke.” 

He moves to get up but is stopped by Kurt’s hand on his wrist. “It’s not a joke.” 

Blaine sits back down, head tilting. “What do you mean?”

This time it’s Kurt who shifts uncomfortably. “I mean that when I told her about you, it was because she wanted to set me up with her co-star. I didn’t let her get very far in telling me about him, I told her I wasn’t interested because…” he looks down at his hand still clinging to Blaine’s wrist. “Because I had feelings for someone. And when she asked who, that prompted me to tell her everything. And after she recovered from her shock she insisted I go on this date. Again, she’s very persuasive.” 

Blaine blinks. “So she knew you were window guy yesterday when she approached me?” He asks, his brain trying to absorb all the information he was…wait a second. “You have feelings for me?” 

Kurt lets go of Blaine’s wrist, nodding sheepishly. “But,” Blaine frowns, “ You set me up with Sebastian!” 

“I didn’t know you felt anything for me!” Kurt explains, shrugging.

 Blaine lets out a laugh. “I was flirting with you the whole day.” 

“You always flirt, Blaine. You flirt with the barista all the time.” Kurt starts to chuckle. 

“I bought you flowers!” 

“I thought you were just being a good friend! I thought they were friendship flowers!” 

“Who buys friendship flowers?!” 

They’re both laughing hysterically, Blaine’s face in his hands and Kurt’s forehead resting on the bar as they catch their breath. After a moment the laughter dies, and when his breathing steadies, Blaine feels the rush of confidence from earlier in the week. He looks over at Kurt, who’s still smiling as he plays with the cuffs of his shirt, and then stands up. “I’m not that hungry. Do you want to go for a walk?” 

Kurt looks up, the smile widening as he nods. “Yes.” 

Neither of them decides where they were going, but they end up heading back toward their apartments. The conversation moves like it used to, going from one topic to another easily. 

They reach their block and Blaine stops them, pulling at Kurt’s arm. “Um, so tomorrow is our first performance.” 

Kurt nods, “I know. I made your outfit, remember?” 

Blaine chuckles nervously. “Yes, well. I was wondering if you’d come watch? Maybe we could, um, go get some food after.”

Kurt smiles, his eyes filling with mischief. “Are you flirting, Blaine? Are you asking me on a date? We should probably be clear so we don’t fall into this mess again.” 

Blaine laughs, nodding. “I’m asking if you’d go on a date with me.” 

“Then I’ll have to say yes.” 

Blaine smiles softly, his eyes falling to Kurt’s lips. “Since we’re making our intentions clear, I have to confess something.” 

Kurt’s smile fades, the moment suddenly serious. “What’s that?” 

“I have to confess that I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you.” 

Kurt steps forward, boldly putting an arm around Blaine’s waist. “We should have done this confessing thing a long time ago. It would’ve saved us some trouble.” 

Blaine lets out a breathless chuckle before closing the gap between them. He captures Kurt’s lips with his and presses into the other man’s body, sighing in contentment. As Blaine feels Kurt’s other arm wrap around him, he lets his hands slide to cup Kurt’s face. Their lips part in unison and Blaine groans softly as Kurt takes his lower lip into his mouth. 

They part a minute later, both very aware that they’re standing on the street. Blaine’s eyes stay closed as he presses their foreheads together and catches his breath. After a moment he’s chuckling again. “What?” Kurt asks. 

“We just lived through a real life Shakespearean comedy.” 

**Epilogue**

Four months later 

“Don’t get use to this,” Kurt mutters, his fingers rubbing circles against Blaine’s temples.

Blaine hums, tilting his head in Kurt’s lap and smiling up at his boyfriend. “What? I wasn’t paying attention, I was just enjoying my weekly head massage.” 

Kurt snorts. “You wish.” 

They’re laid out on Blaine’s couch, the tv turned on but the volume low. They’ve slipped easily into the routine of being boyfriends, double dating with Rachel and her latest conquest, switching off apartments. “I have something for you,” Blaine mutters, sitting up. 

Kurt eyes him curiously. “What?” 

“An anniversary gift.” 

“I didn’t know there was a four month anniversary,” Kurt points out in amusement.

“It’s the sixth month anniversary of when we first met.” 

Kurt smiles softly and Blaine pulls out the folded piece of paper from the end table drawer. He hands it to Kurt with a sheepish smile. “Go on, unfold it.” 

“Why Blaine, darling, did you write me a poem?” Kurt teases, his voice turning slightly southern. 

“No, Scarlett. Open the paper.” 

Kurt chuckles as he unfolds the note, then stops as his eyes sweep over the paper. He puts his hand to his heart and lets out a shuddering breath, looking up at Blaine with a watery smile. Across the paper, in the big letters Blaine use to use when leaving Kurt notes in the window, are the words **I love you**. 

“I love you too,” Kurt answers, leaning in and kissing Blaine softly.  Blaine smiles into the kiss, satisfied with how his comedy ends.


End file.
